Fabrication of Al-Cu-Mg Alloy Foams Using Mg as Thickener through Melt Route and Reinforcement of Cell Walls by Heat Treatment

Aluminum alloy foams were fabricated through the melt route using Al-Cu-Mg alloy, the compositions of which were equivalent to A2024. Mg exhibited thickening effect in the Al-Cu melt during fabrication of the master alloy. Therefore, the thickening effect enabled us to fabricate Al-Cu-Mg alloy foams through the melt route. Porosity increased as the TiH2 decomposition proceeded. After the end of TiH2 decomposition, the pore coarsened. By T6 heat treatment, cell walls of the fabricated Al-Cu-Mg alloy foams were hardened. Minute precipitates of Cu and Mg were observed on cell walls after T6 treatment by EPMA.